Encircling Anguish
by Jantra
Summary: When a boy is given a Sennen Item, what choice does he have but to follow his fated destiny? ~*~ Yaoi in later chapters. ~*~ Chapter 6 uploaded.
1. Unforseen

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: PG

**Author's** **Note**: This fic is something I've always wanted to do. It will have all of the normal Yu-gi-oh! Characters in it, it is just based around Rykiro.

**Call-Out: **I must make a call out to my best friend Val-chan, who pre-reads everything I write and keeps forcing me to write things to keep her entertained. 

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 1: Unforseen**

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He closed his eyes, looking out the window quietly. The rain outside was pouring down in sheets, turning the window pane into a grey waterfall. The landscape, once bright, sunny, and full of greenery, was nothing but dull silvers and muted olives. The house around him was as silent as the grave other then the soft roar of the storm outside. He hated when his brother was gone mostly for the lack of feeling in the house. It seemed to mope around him as if the house itself could tell of his big brother's absence. 

Yea, that was the kind of man his brother was. Bringing life into everything, always brightening any place he was in. His presence was like a living emotion, felt if not seen. Rykiro smiled sadly and stood, stretching out each limb before heading downstairs into the kitchen. A quick glance at the clock told him it would only be another hour before the plane landed at the Philadelphia International Airport, the plane that was returning his brother to him. Why on earth his brother had gone to Egypt was beyond his understanding, but he knew he could not hold back Ryon. 

He gently ran a hand along the smooth surface of the hallway table, drifted them over a picture frame before pausing. His older brother was almost a mirror twin to him, and it was obvious even more when they stood side by side. Both sported similar styles of hair, long blue-black locks touched with silver strands parted along their faces. Both sported the same deep blue eyes, full of emotion. Both sported the same ethereal pale skin, glowing like that of an angel's. But what separated them was age, was height, was beauty. He lifted a hand and touched along one cheek, feeling the grooved skin. It had been years since the accident, since the car carrying a drunk driver and her friends had plowed right for Rykiro and his brother. Been years since he had shoved his brother from a certain death, and caught the bumper of the car right in his ribs. Memories flashed before his eyes, of being in the hospital, of waking to his brother's face… of seeing his own ghostly reflection in the mirror. Scars ran along the length of his cheek like a massive cat scratch, three of them side by side. Another parted the line of his brow, missing the eye thankfully but ending right below the orb and beside his nose. The rest of his body had suffered as well, but the scarring was far fainter, far harder to see. 

A sigh passed through his lips and he wandered finally into the kitchen, staring at the mess that he had made of it since his brother's departure. Rykiro groaned quietly as he realized he was going to have to clean up the whole house; his brother was a neat freak at heart. So he plugged the drain and began to fill the sink, slowly gathering the dishes in his arms to be washed. They splashed into the warm water, and he grabbed the liquid soap beside him and the sponge. When he opened the bottle and squirted some onto the bright green sponge, the scent of apples drifted to his nose. A smile spread over his face and he quickly scrubbed them of the remains of many meals. A full month since he had last seen his brother. A flash of excitement went through him. A call from Ryon last week had the older boy boasting of his adventures, and a secretly surprise for 'his favorite little brother.' His brother's surprises were always amazing, always beautiful, always cool. Just another way to tease the scarred younger brother during the final stretch of his wait. Ryon, he knew, would come back with a million pictures full of sands and pyramids, tanned skinned people and wrinkled crones, of pharaohs and slaves carved in stone. He nearly danced in place thinking about it.

Only fifteen more minutes! A quick calculation in his mind told him that after arriving in the airport, counting in getting off the plane and getting his baggage, it would probably take his brother an extra half an hour to get home. Rykiro smiled gently and ran up to his room. A glance at himself told him he needed to get out of his pajamas and into some real clothing. He dug through his drawers, eyes glancing over fabrics and disregarding them. Rykiro had saved up from his job enough money to take his brother out to one of the nicer restaurants in the city, a place they could chat and eat and he could hear of Ryon's adventures. Tugging off his sweatpants and tee shirt, he stood in his boxers thinking. Hmmm… finally, he pulled out a pair of massive black cargo pants and pulled them off, belting them with a thin black belt. Grasping a long silver chain from the nightstand beside his bed, he attached his wallet to his belt and looped it on. A silver tank top went over that, followed by a velvet black over shirt. Spring was just arriving to the States, and despite its coming a chill hung in the air. He drew up the length of black hair into a ponytail that hung fully to his waist, setting it with a hair tie.  

He sat on the edge of his bed, and waited anxiously. Pictures of the twins hung along the wall in a million different places. Though school had kept him from following his beloved brother on this trip, they normally went to different places around the world during the summer months. Rykiro, thanks to Ryon, had learned the gist of more languages then he thought he should know. He spoke English, Spanish, and Japanese fluently, and was currently trying to learn Chinese for the promised trip to Hong Kong this summer, provided his grades were high.

Rykiro peered at the silver watch on his wrist, and nearly jumped for joy. His brother should arrive any minute! He ran downstairs, taking the curved set of steps two at a time, and collapsed on the couch with a giggle. He grabbed the remote and curled up there with his arms around the cushion. Thumb slid over the power button and he happily watched one of his favorite shows. He got so caught up in the action that when he looked at the clock again, a frown came over his features. It was almost forty-five minutes past when he had expected his brother. But he brushed it off quickly, knowing that Ryon had been late a million times. Airports were just like that. If he was going to be more then an hour late, Ryon had always called his younger brother. So no worries there. He caught himself in a yawn. He had been so excited last night that sleep had refused to come to him to matter what he tried, and now it was trying to extract its revenge on him. His eyes slowly slid shut. He let sleep come over him, knowing that it would only speed up his brother's return to him. 

Rykiro's eyes only opened at the sound of incessant ringing. A groan, and he stood up and let his hand grope for the telephone. It found the smooth plastic receiver and lifted it from its cradle. He placed it to his ear.

"Hmmm, yea?" He muttered into the phone, his eyes remaining closed. 

"Rykiro? This is your uncle, Sath." The name **sounded **familiar, but he couldn't place it in his half asleep state.

"…Uhh… Who?" 

            "We met last year when you and your brother came to Japan?" He frowned, thinking it over. Finally his memory dredged up the face of an older man, younger then his dad had been. Sath had introduced Ryon to the game of Duel Monsters, who in turn additicted his younger brother to it. Both of them had precious decks that they played with from time to time.

            "Hmmm yea! I remember… We met at my birthday party, right?" The whole point of the trip had been a celebration of his 18th birthday party. It was almost a full year later, now. 

            "Yes." Rykiro could hear the clipped English, and he switched easily into Japanese for his uncle's sake. But something nagged at him.

            "What's wrong? You sound upset." He hazarded a guess.         

            There was a long silence, then…

            "Rykiro, I received a call from Egypt today." The named boy opened his eyes and peered into the kitchen. His heart skipped a beat when the clock read almost eight hours from the last time he had gazed at it.

            "Your brother was found dead in his hotel room last night. I'm sorry, Rykiro." 

            The phone dropped from his hand, numb.

            "Rykiro! Rykiro!" He barely heard from the phone that now sat on the floor. He stared at it blankly. Ryon, dead? How… how could it be? He knew that his brother had a few health problems, but nothing that could have killed him. Tears fell down his cheeks unfelt by the boy. He slowly reached down and grasped the phone, closing his eyes once again.

            "Dead." He repeated, softly, as if unsure if whether or not what he heard was true or not.

            "Rykiro… The autopsy from the hospital there said that he had… had cancer deep in his brain for years. No one had even **known **of it; the doctor's told me that the state it was in was inoperable. I'm so sorry…" His uncle's voice was full of emotion, but it didn't seem to touch the boy he spoke to.

            "Dead…" He parroted again, staring at nothing.

            His uncle coughed as if trying to get the boy's attention again. "Since you do not have any other living relatives… I was asked to take care of you." Rykiro whimpered in the back of his throat. "Tomorrow you should get plane tickets in the mail to come to Tokyo… I'll bring you back to the house… you'll need to pack as much as you can. Ryon left the house in your name but knew you couldn't upkeep it yourself… I'm sorry, Rykiro… I'll call tomorrow morning to make sure you got the tickets. Goodnight… and I'm sorry." And the connection went dead. Rykiro simply let the phone drop where it would, and slowly stood. His feet took him through the house and back upstairs to the door of his brother's room. He cracked it open and stared at the room. Dead? How could Ryon be dead…? Cancer? He had never even known… There in the doorway, he fell to his knees, burying his face into his arms. Sobs rang through him and through the house, followed by a painful filled scream of pure anguish. 


	2. Disbelief

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: PG

**Author's** **Note**: This fic is something I've always wanted to do. It will have all of the normal Yu-gi-oh! Characters in it, it is just based around Rykiro.

**Call-Out: **I must make a call out to my best friend Val-chan, who pre-reads everything I write and keeps forcing me to write things to keep her entertained. 

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 2: Disbelief**

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            Rykiro looked around slowly. The place he was in was very unfamiliar, alien. It was a room of darkness, a single table with two chairs the only thing he could see. He slowly walked, disturbed by the fact his own feet made no sound even though the 'ground' beneath him felt solid. All around him darkness swirled slowly, tugging at his flesh and clothing. Unsure of what to do, he took a seat at the table. It was a beautifully carved piece of cherry wood, dyed with colors of green, tan, orange, purple, blue, and grey. It looked a great deal like…

            "A Duel Monster's field." A voice echoed around him. He looked about, but nothing met his eye.

            "Who's there?" He whispered, and heard his own voice repeated several times before dying. The darkness suddenly fell away to reveal a stone room, with the same table within. A huge, warm bed filled one corner and weapons covered the walls. Wherever it could, warm colored wood filled over the cold stone. It was a beautiful place, and it immediately felt like home to him. But a scent filled the air… It smelled briefly of cinnamon… sandalwood….and… and…

            "Brother!? Ryon?" He cried into the empty room. It was filled with his brother's smell of earth and pine and rainstorms. Tears filled his eyes. But nothing answered. He touched his own chest, and touched velvet. Looking down he saw himself dressed in the same outfit he had been for several days, uncaring whether or not he changed. He plopped back down in the chair and buried his head in his arms on the table. After a short time, though, he felt something touch his hair. His head jerked up and he looked into eyes that were the darkest burnished silver, fringed with dark lashes. A man sat there, watching him with a bemused smirk. Rykiro gasped softly. The man looked so much like his older brother he almost swore for a moment it was Ryon himself… But the eyes were not the same, in color and emotion. These eyes that looked at him now looked far older. He frowned softly. 

            "Who… are you?" He whispered quietly. The person on the other side of the table just smirked slightly. 

            "Kuragari." The other man answered simply, gesturing over the table. Out of no where, two decks appeared on the table. One was backed by the normal spirals and loops of gentle tan, but the other… Its color was of black and silver, and seemed to glow. Rykiro frowned more.

            "What is this?" He questioned, wanting a million answers to a million questions, but the soul before him seemed silent. Rykiro noted the same blue-black hair that covered his own head sat in lowered spikes with the same general length on this other man. He seemed… stronger, somehow, with a slightly bigger frame then even his brother. Quietly he placed his hand on the deck in front of him, and gasping softly when it began to glow under his palm. Time froze around him, then released him only a heartbeat later. His hand jerked up and now the deck looked the same as Kuragari's did. He studied it before looking to Kuragari. The silver eyed boy just smirked and tapped his own deck. 

            "Play." Was all he said, and stood up. Rykiro gave a slow blink and looked to the now empty chair, then who he had assumed was supposed to be his opponent. 

            "I cant play against no on-" The other man shook his head, and spoke again.

            "Play." This was just some sort of crazy dream, Rykiro knew. So he did as asked. He drew five cards from the top of the deck and looked them over. No words adorned them, just pictures. But it did not matter, he knew them by heart. Change of Heart, with its blessed cursed angel… Monster Reborn, completely with the crimped corner that had graced it since its first day… and his favorite, the Dark Magician. But as he looked at it, the card had changed. Instead of the cerulean and amethyst robes that had always adorned the Magician's body, black and silver fabrics swayed around him in the still image. His hair had turned to a pure white, his eyes the deepest grey. What had happened to his faithful Dark Magician? 

            A finger touched over the changed image, and glared to Kuragari. "What kind of joke is this? What happened to my Dark Magician?" He asked angrily. How dare this man play with his deck, that he and his brother had worked so hard for… 

            "Play." Once again. He growled quietly and went to lay down a simple Feral Imp, but his hand was stopped half way. "No sacrifices." The other quoted the rule against all rules. Rykiro snarled and went to slap down his Dark Magician in attack mode, but all had changed around him. No longer were they in the room, but back into the vast darkness. He floated high over the 'ground,' staring down. A cry fell from his lips as energy seemed to be pulled from his very core and into his hand. The card shimmered with silver light that burst from its surface and into the air. It swooped down like a hawk and landed delicately below, quickly taking the shape and form of the altered Dark Magician. The wizard stood proudly upon the field, the silver, black wrapped staff in his curled fingers. The card looked over his shoulder to Rykiro, bowed his head, then turned around and went into a fighting stance. 

            Rykiro stared, amazed. What on earth was this… Suddenly, across the way, another figure appeared. A being wrapped in a black cloak, hood shadowing the face. The being lifted a hand and light flew from it, the two cards captured in those digits appearing on the field. One was a card face down in the magic/trap zone, the second a monster in defense mode. What did all of this mean? 

            "Why am I **here?" He screamed out, eyes wide. His Dark Magician looked oddly at him, and to his utter amazement, spoke.**

            "Master, you are here to duel." The voice was musical and deep. Rykiro stared for a moment.

            "You… can talk?" He whispered.

            The Dark Magician held up a hand to the other cards across the field, and floated upwards to stand before Rykiro. "Master, are you alright? This is very unlike you." The wizard leaned in closer, looking into Rykiro's eyes. Rykiro nodded slowly. 

            "Yea… I think so." His voice was tight. The Dark Magician merely nodded and floated back to his space, bowing his head. The cards across the field shimmered then rested once again. Rykiro merely nodded and drew a new card. His fingers touched over the shell of Gemini Elves, and nodded. They would be perfect in attack mode, ready for whatever this… opponent threw at him. Before he could even state his actions, the same feeling of loss and exhaustion, and a pair of twin elves stood on the field beside the Dark Magician. They all nodded to each other like long time friends. Rykiro knew this deck by heart. The Gemini Elves had been a happy, rare find for him when he had added them to his deck. Finally, he looked up. He never lost a duel thanks to woolgathering, he wouldn't now.

            "Gemini Elves, Attack!" His voice rang out, trying not to show fear to his mysterious opponent. The sisters leapt from their position, their light swimming through the darkness towards the defensive monster. It turned up with a roar, and down went a Celtic Guardian. It did not wear the normal shades of green and brown, but armor of silver and blue. This whole thing made no sense. The twins lightly stepped back to their places, a slow bead of sweat rolling down one's cheek. 

            The other being lifted his hand again, and energy flew from it to the field. This time, it swarmed higher and higher and higher until above his head stood a mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon, its roar splitting the silence. Rykiro slapped his hands over his ears until it was done, its wings and claws at the ready. His eyes shone with fear. 

            The other being gestured, and the Dragon lifted its head, power gathering in its jaws. It split from his maw and right towards his Gemini Elves. Pain seared through him as they were destroyed. His scream echoed through the darkness. What…

            The Dragon settled back, one cold blue eye settling on the Dark Magician, who looked completely unperturbed. Rykiro closed his eyes, and with a nod to steel himself he tugged another card free of the pile. A tiny smirk flared over his lips. "I play Malevolent Nuzzler on the Dark Magician!" A sweeping green spirit came up over his favorite card, making the wizard's head fall back. The Magician's eyes were closed, his body tense. In a moment the light faded, and around his shoulders rested a green succubus like creature, its power added to the wizard's own. "Attack the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" He called out to his faithful Magician, who immediately raised his staff and took on a summoning stance. 

The figure across the arena lifted a hand, touching the edge of its hood.

The Dark Magician twirled his staff and sheer power went through the channel and out towards the Blue Eyes. Just before it hit, the figure let its hood fall.

Rykiro's cry rang out over the field, as did that of the Blue Eyes. 

There stood his brother, smiling gently as his monster was destroyed.

And the world blacked out like a broken bulb.  


	3. Unknowing

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: PG

**Author's** **Note**: Well, here's chapter 3. No reviews, I guess no one is really enjoying it. But I am really enjoying writing it so I will!

**Call-Out: **I must make a call out to my best friend Val-chan, who pre-reads everything I write and keeps forcing me to write things to keep her entertained. 

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 3: Unknowing**

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            Rykiro awoke with a jerk, and stared blankly around. The inside of the plane greeted his eyes as he panted softly. A man beside him looked to Rykiro with a frown.

            "You alright son?" He asked in a gruff voice. Rykiro just nodded and the man looked back to his magazine. Memories drifted forward… He was on the plane to Tokyo. A vague memory of packing, of packing some of his brother's things into his bags. A small hitch in his throat and he curled back up into the seat. The tickets had been first class, so the seats were huge. That dream… he rested his chin on his forearm and remembered that strange dream all over again. That face was most definitely of his brother. He forced down tears, and scrambled in his bag for his deck. The cards were stored in a small wooden box, a twin to the one his brother's deck was in except for the carving on top. His fingers ran over one box, feeling the styling of a dragon coiling around the wood. That was his brother's… He felt for the other box and finally dug it out. Several wolves ran rampart through a carved forest… A fingernail pried the box open and he pulled out his deck. His eyes watched as he slowly shuffled through the cards. Finally, he paused on the Dark Magician. It looked no different then it always had. A tiny sigh and he replaced the deck into the box and leaned back. It really WAS just a dream. He knew his brother had never had one of those fateful Blue Eyes White Dragons, and that other man… that… Kuragari… He paused, thinking. It took a moment to remember, but finally he muttered, "Darkness," To himself. The other being's name was Darkness? He frowned, trying just to understand that. And why had he looked so much like himself and Ryon?

            "Passengers, please buckle yourself in and raise your tray, we will be landing shortly." One of the stewardesses chirped into the speaker system on the plane. "It is about 14 degrees Celsius today in Tokyo, and the time is 8:00 am." Rykiro gave a small groan and did as told. Crossing time zones always messed with his head pretty harshly. 

            The landing was quick and simple. Unlike his brother, he thankfully never got plane sick. He remembered many a time where they had to run from the plane just to get Ryon to the bathroom… He closed his eyes as he slowly walked off the plane with his carry on. Never again would they do something as stupid as that together. Never again. 

            He paused as he got off the plane, looking around the terminal. The babbling of a thousand different people was starting to give him a headache. Finally he spotted the thin form of his uncle, and waved to him while walking over. Sath stood up and smiled slightly, hugging his nephew as soon as the boy was in range. "Come on, let's get your things from baggage claim." His uncle said carefully in English. Rykiro gave a faint smile, and replied back in Japanese.

            "Uncle, you know I can speak Japanese. I feel less like a foreigner this way." Sath merely chuckled at that comment and nodded.

            "It's been a long time, Rykiro. I'd forgotten." Together they weaved through the mass of people towards baggage claim. Rykiro had brought three big suitcases that had barely made it under the limit of what he was allowed to take. They waited until the first of the pieces showed up, and both grabbed a handle and wrestled it off the conveyor belt. Then the second, then the third. 

            "I didn't realize you would bring so much on your own." Sath commented. He had paid for the rest of Rykiro's things to be shipped here separately. 

Rykiro gave another tiny smile. "I brought things I thought I would need. Sorry." He scratched his head, and looked around. Finally he spotted a wheeled cart that passengers could use, and grabbed it just before someone else got to it. He wheeled it back to his uncle and they loaded his things onto the cart. "Where's your car?" Sath gestured out one door with his head as he tugged on the cart in that direction. Rykiro pushed from the other side. His uncle was no small business man; he had quite a fortune on his hands. Slowly they got everything into the car, and Rykiro slid into the passenger seat while his uncle got into the car and turned it on. Sath pulled out into traffic. 

They drove for almost an hour before Sath spoke again. "I know it's a little soon to be thinking about it, Rykiro, but I enlisted you in the high school near my home. You'll start Monday, alright?" Rykiro nodded numbly. His mind normally didn't want to think about school, and especially did not want to right now. "Just think, your senior year! You should be a little excited about that, right?" His uncle flashed a smile at him quickly before looking back out to traffic. When Rykiro didn't reply, Sath sighed softly.

"Rykiro…" He began, frowning slightly. "I know you miss your brother… I… I am having them ship the body here… We can bury him here." Rykiro knew it was probably what his brother would have wanted. The older boy had adored Japan, always had boasted about it being his favorite place in the world. "The funeral… is next weekend, I think. I need to speak to a few people about it…" He finished weakly. A glance to his nephew told of the pain the boy must have been feeling. 

"Alright." Rykiro just whispered quietly as they pulled up in front of the house. The house itself was behind a massive iron gate, enclosed with granite walls. It was a beautiful home, curling with wood and marble. Compared to some of the homes on the street it was small, but none the less striking on its own. He pressed a button on the divider between them and the gates opened. Sath quickly drove up the driveway to the house. He cut the engine and gave Rykiro's shoulder a quick squeeze. 

"Come on, let's get this stuff inside." 

Together they had gotten the three suitcases and Rykiro's bookbag into the house and upstairs to a bedroom. It was simple but comfortable, had an adjoining bathroom and a completely undecorated room. When Rykiro discovered this one, his uncle shrugged.

"I figured you could do something with it, so I had it cleaned out." Rykiro arched a brow and nodded, and slowly began to unpack some of these things. Sath watched over this for a little while before sighing and nodding.

"Alright Rykiro… I am going to head back to work. Make yourself at home… He tapped a small box on the wall near the door. "If you need something, I have a maid and a butler that will answer to this call. Otherwise, you're free to roam the city. Just remember how to get back here." Sath reached into a pocket and pulled out a slim, sleek cell phone and tossed it to Rykiro. "Call me if you need anything. And…" He pulled out his wallet, and plopped a credit card into Rykiro's hand. He gave Rykiro a hug, ruffled his hair, and left. Rykiro sat on the edge of the bed for a little while, trying to adjust. He turned the credit card over his hands before placing it into his own wallet. 

"Gotta clear my head…" He murmured to himself, grabbed his Duel Monsters deck and pocketed the cell phone. After shrugging on a jacket, he hit the light and went to find his way out. He barely remembered his way around the house, but finally managed to get back out to the main entrance and went outside. The air was crisp, slightly chilly but not so bad as to wear more then a light jacket. He went out the smaller set of gates just for people near the main gates. The city bustled around him. He picked a random direction and started walking, looking idly from store to store. He walked without really paying attention for almost twenty minutes; the street signs really pushed his knowledge of Japanese… It was what he deserved for not practicing it once in a while since his last visit. He paused outside a green shop with the words 'Game' written on it, with a massive picture of the Dark Magician and several other Duel Monsters in the window. A small smile edged onto his lips.

_Ryon, you would love to be here._

He entered into the shop, and looked around. Duel Monster cards were in every display case, posters hanging over the walls. A short, older man stood behind the counter, who looked up at the sound of the door's bell ringing when it was opened.

"Greetings there!" He said, smiling openly to the boy who entered his shop. "Welcome to my shop… Are you looking for anything in particular?" Rykiro shook his head slightly.

"Just came to look, sir." His voice was soft. His fingers slowly touched over the glass cases. 

"Do you play?" The man gestured to a case. Rykiro nodded, tugging his deck out from his pocket. "Can I see it?" Rykiro frowned, but slowly handed it over. The older man slowly went through his precious deck, nodding from time to time. Finally he looked back to Rykiro. "I'm impressed. This deck is very good! Hmmmm would you like a few suggestions?" 

"I'd love to hear what you think."

"By the way… My name is Solomon Motou." And the old man offered out his hand with a smile. Rykiro took it with a small smile.

"Name's Rykiro." Solomon frowned, thinking.

"Your accent… you came from the States, right?" Rykiro nodded slightly. "I'm surprised… the few Americans I see in here all have English cards. Don't see many with the Japanese." 

"My brother… and I, always played with the Japanese ones." He offered out. Solomon just nodded, noting the fleeting passage of sadness that came over the boy's face. So they poured over the cases, and finally came up with a few cards that would help Rykiro's deck immensely. Just as Rykiro was going to pay, a young boy came from a small staircase that looked to lead upstairs. Rykiro blinked slightly. The boy had the most wild hair he'd ever seen. Black was edged in ruby, with golden bangs hanging in lavender eyes. Rykiro noted the boy was incredibly short, looking to only be about 15 at most. Solomon smiled to Rykiro.

"Rykiro, meet my grandson, Yugi." The named boy smiled to the customer.

"Hi!" Yugi smiled, and noticed the deck in Rykiro's hands. He cocked a brow. "You play Duel Monsters?" Rykiro nodded, watching Yugi finger the golden trinket that sat around his neck. 

Rykiro gave a shy smile and cocked his head. "Want to Duel?" He asked Yugi, and the boy nodded sharply. Solomon chuckled and muttered something to the effect of 'Boys will be boys.'

"Come on you two, you can play in the back here." He opened a door that led into a room packed with boxes. Yugi slipped inside and sat down at a table, gesturing for Rykiro to take the other seat. Rykiro sat down.

_A table, dyed with the patterns of a duel monster's field…_

He shook his head to rid himself of the image, and smiled to Yugi. 

"Let's duel." They said together.


	4. Truth

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: PG

**Author's** **Note**: Well, here's chapter 3. No reviews, I guess no one is really enjoying it. But I am really enjoying writing it so I will!

**Call-Out: **I must make a call out to my best friend Val-chan, who pre-reads everything I write and keeps forcing me to write things to keep her entertained. 

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 4: Truth**

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            Yugi had started the duel out as himself for once, refusing his yami to play against some American who looked as if he had only been playing for a short time. But it was only about the first five rounds or so in and already the black haired boy had taken away a thousand of Yugi's liftpoints, successfully keeping Yugi's attacks away from his own. Yugi tried to keep the conversation light, telling the American about the holograms they used in Japan to play these duels during tournaments. Rykiro frowned at the board, glanced to his own hand. "I'll play the Dark Magician in attack mode." He said in that quiet voice of his, laying the oh so familiar card down on the field. Yugi rarely saw another dueler with this particular card and arched a brow. 

            _Yami__?___

He opened the door to his yami's soul room, where his darkness stood. He had obviously been watching the duel.

            _This boy is very good, aibou. Yami stated. Yugi nodded, gesturing slightly._

            _He's really good! I can't even seem to touch him!... I figured maybe you could try. Yugi hung his head. His yami merely smirked, touching his hikari's hair with a nod._

            Rykiro frowned, looking at his opponent. The boy almost seemed… different. Those once lavender eyes seemed to carry a tint of crimson now, almost seemed more slanted, more edged. Was that wild hair even stranger, now? A small shake of his head, and he put it off as nerves. Yami looked down over the board, and smirked slightly. No one had ever beaten him in a **fair duel, he knew, discounting the fluke of a duel between him and Seto Kaiba. This boy would be no different. **

            He played at the top of his game, almost unused to dueling with just the cards instead of the massive duel arenas and holograms. But he knew every one of his cards by heart, knew their names and their strengths. They would see him through this duel. 

            But he had underestimated the boy before him. This Rykiro laid down cards with barely more then the minimum of speech, would only quietly answer if asked a question. Finally, Yami sat back in the chair with a frown coming over his features. He sat with only a hundred life points to his name, while Rykiro boasted a full nine hundred still. Yami frowned over his card, thinking. It was Rykiro's turn at the moment.

            "I'll place one card facedown," Rykiro paused, looking at his opponent's side of the field. The Change of Heart card would help him immensely in his next round. With no monsters, his opponent's only facedown card there had to be a trap to deal with his Dark Magician. So he nodded. "And I'll end my turn."

            Yami smirked softly. "Fell into my trap, Rykiro." He touched his facedown card, and flipped it over. Rykiro growled softly at his own stupidity. There in the other boy's hand sat a Dark Hole card. "I'll just play out the effects of the mighty Dark Hole, wiping your Dark Magician from the field." Rykiro sighed and lovingly removed his wizard from the field, smiling at it briefly before placing it on top of the graveyard. "Then I will play my own Dark Magician, and wipe out your lifepoints." Yami placed the card face up in attack mode. Rykiro watched this and sighed, then smiled slightly towards the other boy. A slight blink. Had Yugi's appearance shifted again? He shook his head and offered his hand. "Thank you for a great deal." Yugi accepted the hand with a nod.       

            "No, thank you! You almost had me there!" He smiled towards Rykiro. Rykiro formed his cards back into a deck and smiled towards Yugi once again. The duel, for a moment, had made him forget the hell his life was going through. He stood up, bowed towards Solomon before finally paying for the cards he had wanted to buy. But before he could leave, Yugi waved towards him.

            "Stop by tomorrow!" Rykiro nodded and waved in return and headed back towards the house. He shuffled the new cards into his deck and touched them lightly before pocketing them. That Yugi kid was really good, almost impossibly good as he seemed to slip through many of Rykiro's traps. But he still felt positive that he had gotten the kid so far down in life points before he himself was wiped out. He made his way back into the house and closed to the door to his room as soon as he was inside. A frown passed over his lips. Walking to the bed, he touched the brown paper package lightly that sat on the comforter. 

            "What's this…" He wondered out loud, fingers digging into the paper. When he finally got it open, under the massive amount of paper, string, and tape, he lifted the flaps to reveal a large envelope. A blink. On the yellow envelope was the word, 'Brother'… written in Ryon's hand writing. He gave a faint whimper in the back of his throat and lifted the envelope out. Underneath it was a strange piece of golden jewelry. With shaking fingers, he fused with the small metal tabs and opened the sachet, pulling out a sheet of paper. A slow sigh, and he began to read. 

            _Rykiro,_

_            By the time you get this, I know I'll have passed on. I know that this must have come as a shock, and I'm sorry for putting you through this. I found out about the cancer about two months ago… Remember when you had to call the ambulance when I had passed out and  wouldn't wake up? Yea… that's when they discovered it. Because I was an adult, they wouldn't tell anyone else what they had found… a tumor. I don't understand it myself, but they told me I only had a while to live. It would only effect my health so much, it was mostly because of its size that it was killing me. I didn't think I would die here, so far away from the only family I've really had, brother. I wanted to travel one last time. _

_            The other thing in this package is that surprise I promised you. I know it isn't silver like everything else you own, but when I touched it I had a flash of your face. I think its supposed to come to you. It's an armband of a priest that died hundreds of years ago, right here in __Egypt__. That symbol on it is called the Eye of Ra… You should remember from history class who Ra is. God of the Sun. My last gift to you, my dear brother._

_            I love you more then anything, Rykiro. Know that I am with you. I'm with you in spirit, always. _

_                                                                                                            Always,_

_                                                                                                                        Ryon_

_P.S. – Bro, I know you know how much we've always loved Duel Monsters… use the better cards outta my deck to improve yours and kick some ass in Japan._

Rykiro closed his eyes as a tear hit the letter. Ryon… Ryon had known that he was going to die. He gingerly took the armband out of the box and looked it over, running a thumb over its surface. The Eye of Ra stared at him from pounded gold worm smooth. Two delicate cobalt gems sat on either side of it. Shrugging off his over shirt and jacket, he slid it up over his wrist and settled it on his upper bicep. It fit there perfectly, not sliding or moving once it was in place. But as soon as he had let go of it, it began to glow. He stared at it blankly for a moment, and tried to pull it off; it refused to move. The glow surrounded him, poured through him like water. It filled him till he could no longer hold it, and the room went dark.

            He slowly opened his eyes in that familiar room of stone and wood, with the Duel Monster's table standing there. Kuragari sat on one of the chairs, looking at him. Rykiro sat up, feeling softness underneath him. He must be sitting on the bed… Rykiro frowned, looking to the man who looked so like him. 

            Kuragari stood and walked to the side of the bed, looking down at the younger boy. "Ryon told me about you." Rykiro blinked slowly, pushing his hands to push himself backwards. 

            "How… what…?" He whispered, eyes wide. Kuragari just smirked softly and sat on the bed. That spiky hair framed about his head in a dark aura. 

            "I'll tell you what I know." His fingers lifted and touched the golden armband on Rykiro's bicep, then touched the mirror one on his own. "The gold you wear around your arm is called the Millennium Band. Thousands of years ago, I lived in Egypt, in the Palace of the Pharaoh. I was a priest to Ra." At Rykiro's hesitant nod, Kuragari continued. "The thing that is now called Duel Monsters was a true thing in my time. We could summon the beasts just as someone might breath. It was second nature to those who could truly do it. But certain beasts had particular loyalties to certain men. The High Priest, Set, held some of the strongest creatures in all of the Realms. Three massive Blue Eyes White Dragons." Rykiro gasped softly. "The Pharaoh held the loyalty of the great Dark Magician. But for some reason, I see that the Dark Magician has become one of your prized fighters, and I can see why. Things are different in this day and age." 

            Rykiro frowned. "Summon… summon Duel Monsters?" He paused. Was that what he had done in his dream? He remembered that feeling, that energy flowing from him to become his black and silver Dark Magician…

            Kuragari gave a long smirk. "I see you remember." He said quietly, noting Rykiro's face. "But, continuing on… Set was the holder of the Millennium Rod and had slowly turned darker and darker, until one day he challenged the great Pharaoh to a duel. They went into a room together, and that was the last thing I knew of either of them. For some hours later, a light settled over my room. It was as gold as the sun itself, and I swore it to be Ra coming for me. But it was not to be so. The armband I had been given when I became His priest fused into my soul, and I was trapped there." Kuragari looked into Rykiro's eyes, and smirked. "Until today. Now my soul is part of yours."


	5. Confusion

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: PG

**Author's** **Note**: Up to Chapter 5, yay! Still only three reviews. Gomen nasi for the OC.. but I really wanted to do this. So bah to anyone who doesn't like OCs. ^^

**Call-Out: **As always, thanks to my beloved Val-chan! *huggles her* She inspires me with her equally yaoi obsessed mind ^^;;;;; (she's gonna kill me now) 

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 5: Confusion**

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            "Part of mine?" Rykiro squeaked. What on earth could this other man mean? This darkness…

            "Rykiro, I know this must seem like a lot to understand but… right now, we are in your Soul Room." He stood, offering the younger boy a hand. Rykiro avoided it and stood. Kuragari walked towards the door of the room, still explaining. "A Soul Room mutates itself to what kind of person the soul is. Their personality, their emotions, their being." He paused at the door and opened it, revealing a shadowy, ethereal hallway. Before them stood a stone door, complete with the Eye of Ra carved into the dark grey stone. Kuragari gestured his head towards the door. "That's my Soul Room. You are free to come and go as long as you knock before hand." Those strange silver eyes glittered. "I'll leave you to think it over." And the man opened, then walked through the stone doorway. Rykiro stood there in the hallway, feeling incredibly stupid and confused.

            "How am I supposed to get out?" He said to no one at all. And nearly jumped out of his skin when he was answered.

            Inside his head.

            _Rykiro, just close your eyes and feel your body around you. It will return to you. It was Kuragari's voice, echoing inside his skull. _

            "K….Kuragari?" He said out loud, looking around.

            _You can 'think' back at me, you know. Rykiro could hear that dry chuckle in his mind._

            _Can you hear me? _

            _Course I can. Now head back out into your own body, aibou. Long day tomorrow._

Rykiro nodded and slowly did as Kuragari had told him. His slid back into the familiar warmth of his own body and took a slow breath. Glancing to the clock, he saw that the time was almost ten at night. Where had the time gone? He felt like he had only been with Kuragari in that strange place for only a short time…

            He shook his head and looked into the mirror across the room. Light gleamed off the armband that sat on his pale flesh, feeling oddly warm. Rykiro could feel the other soul in his, moving, feeling… breathing. A slight shudder passed through him. But he frowned, realizing something. Kuragari had never actually **answered his question about Ryon. **

            _Kuragari?__ How did you know about my brother? How did you… meet him? _

But he was answered with silence. He sighed and tugged off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. Slowly he went through the things he had brought and unpacked them into drawers. Around 11, a knock broke his train of thought. He opened the door, and smiled when he saw his uncle. 

            "Just got home, Rykiro… Though I'd stop in to say goodnight. Did you have fun here by yourself?" Rykiro nodded.

            "Found a neat little game shop a ways off from here." Sath smiled, glad to see the boy with a smile on his face. He hugged his nephew. 

            "Get some sleep, kid. You've got school in the morning." Rykiro nodded and after waving Sath off, wandered the house looking for the kitchen. He hadn't really wanted to eat after getting off the plane, but now his stomach was aching for something to be in it. It took him a little while to finally get into the kitchen, and dug into the fridge. Finally he came up with a sandwich and dug into it. It was practically inhaled along with a glass of milk. He washed the dishes in the sink, replaced them, and went back into his room. He cut the light, and curled up under the covers.

            In several days, sleep had not come as quickly as it did then.

            A pounding on his door woke him the next day from dreams of sand and Duel Monsters. He grumbled and curled back up. 

            "Master Rykiro!" He heard called, and realized it wasn't his uncle. He slowly got up, scratching at his ribs, and went to the door. Rykiro grappled for the doorknob and turned it, staring blearly at a man in a black suit. He blinked slowly.

            "Master Rykiro, your uncle has given me instructions to give you your uniform for school today, feed you and drive you to the local high school." He offered a bundle of clothing to Rykiro, who took it. He was not used to being waited on. "You will report downstairs in ten minutes, Rykiro." The butler smiled to him and vanished with a click of his heels down the hallway. Rykiro scratched his head and shook it before going inside. A **uniform?He had never needed one in the past. He shrugged off his boxers, donned new ones, then slid into the uniform itself. It was deep blue, not his favorite color but it would work. He looked into the mirror, and almost gagged; he looked ridiculous. A sigh escaped him and he grabbed a hairbrush, quickly taming the wild blue-black strands into a ponytail holder that sat loosely on the base of his neck. Like a fool, he had fallen asleep with his contacts in. He removed them and left them to soak, and put on a small pair of black framed glasses with tinted shades. He went to put on his normal jewelry, but paused. None of it was gold… He frowned, and shook his head. Under the uniform, no one would see it. So he just put everything on and brushed his teeth, and still was barely able to grab his bookbag and get downstairs in time to make the butler happy. He was fed a huge breakfast, something else Rykiro was not used too, then chauffeured straight to school. **

Rykiro stared unhappily at all of the other kids from behind shaded glass, unsure about this first day. He silently wished Ryon was here, telling him that this was just a new adventure. 

_You're brother is always with you, Rykiro. _That ancient voice echoed in his mind. Inside the car he jumped a foot, staring blankly around. _Just me.__ He heard a dry chuckle. Rykiro slowly sighed, remembering. His fingers encircled the golden band under the uniform sleeve._

_You scared me, Kuragari. _He whispered back. There was a touch on his shoulder like a ghost's. 

_Stop being so nervous.__ Ryon would be embarrassed. And the voice faded. How would Kuragari know anything about Ryon? He would have to ask the spirit later, for at the moment they stopped before the school. He thanked the aging butler and got out, fingers wrapped around the backpack strap like a drowning man might hold onto a lifesaver. Kids milled around him as the car pulled away. He had heard horror stories of Japanese schools before, and wondered if his slacking way of taking school was about to be destroyed. A small sigh, and he squared his shoulders. He headed for the main doors before a clump of red outlined black hair caught his eye. Rykiro waved a hand towards Yugi, who was waiting outside of the main doors with a couple of others. The smaller boy looked up at the motion, and smiled, gesturing for Rykiro to join him. He slipped up to the stairs and wanted to cringe under all the stares._

"Guys, this is Rykiro! He's from the States!" One of them, a girl, gasped at the news and looked closer at Rykiro. "Yea, he came into my grandpa's shop this weekend and we'd dueled. He's pretty good." That same girl laughed.

"That's high praise from Yugi Motou!" Rykiro frowned slightly, looking to her. Obviously Yugi was a high figure around here from the tone in her voice. It was also painfully obvious she had a crush on him from the way her eyes slyly glanced at him. Rykiro then smiled softly and bobbed his head. 

"Hello." He said quietly. Yugi just gave the American an infectious smile and gestured to each of his friends in turn.

"This is Jounichi." He pointed to a slim blonde boy, who smirked and cocked his head. 

"Hiya there, Ry." Rykiro frowned at the shortened version of his name. "Just call meh Jou." The kid seriously sounded like he was right out of the depths of Brooklyn. The girl smiled to him again.

"My name is Tea, pleased to meet you." She seemed a bit to preppy for his tastes.

Yugi gestured to a guy who needed some serious hair care tips… he had a spike of hair. "This is Honda." The guy just tipped his head slightly.

"And this fellow is Ryou." He stepped to the side slightly, revealing a boy slightly shorter then Rykiro with the snowy white hair of an angel. Rykiro felt his mouth go slightly dry. 

"Eh… Hello, Ryou. Jou, Tea, Honda." He quickly repeated back names as he remembered them. Everyone seemed pleased.

"What's your first class, Rykiro?" Yugi asked. Rykiro smiled.

"Need to get a schedule first." His eyes drifted over to Ryou's, who met them only for a second before looking down. Quiet fellow, that one. Yugi nodded and walked into the school, but Joey quickly took the lead. The blonde lead them into the school's office, where with only a minimal fuss Rykiro got his class schedule. But as they all turned to leave, an aging man walked up behind Rykiro and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Rykiro jumped and turned to look into the stranger's eyes.

"Hello there, Gaiyoku Rykiro." Rykiro growled to himself at the sound of his father's last name but nodded. 

"Hey…"

"I am the principal of this school. I hope that you will enjoy being here, I know how hard it must be transferring in the middle of the year. Your uncle told me of your reasons… I'm very sorry." The man gave a small smile. "But I know how hard Americans tend to have it in our school system. So if you need any help getting adjusted, feel free to ask me, I'll send you to someone who can help. I'm glad to see you're making friends already." He looked over the group present. "Motou-san, take young Rykiro here to class will you? I already spoke to his teacher." And he turned and went into an office. 

"Come on Rykiro, class is going to start any second now!" Rykiro followed the group into a classroom, and paused while Yugi and Jou spoke to the teacher briefly. She looked up and smiled to Rykiro. 

"Welcome to my class, Gaiyko-san. Take that seat between Yugi and Ryou." He bowed his head and did as told, settling into his seat. A quick notebook and pencil and he waited. 

_He looks oddly familiar, that one. _Kuragari's voice echoed in his mind. He jumped a bit, still unused to someone else being in his head. 

_Who does?_ Rykiro looked around him.

_The one with the dark hair, golden bangs. He looks strangely familiar..._ Rykiro shrugged mentally.

_You're imagining it, Kuragari… I only met him yesterday myself!_

_You're probably right, aibou…_Rykiro frowned softly.

_That's the second time you've called me that. Aibou… partner? _

_That **is** what you are, Rykiro. My partner in spirit, mmm? _He could almost see Kuragari's smirk. Rykiro laughed quietly, inspiring an odd look from Yugi. He quickly went silent, eyes still crinkled in some amusement. He ran his fingers over the place where the armband sat, protected under his uniform.


	6. Immobile

**Disclaimer**: Whilst I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, Rykiro, Ryon, Sath, and the Millennium Band are all my own original ideas. If you wish to borrow them for some reason, ask me first.

**Chapter** **Rating**: G

**Author's** **Note**: Gomen nasi! I didn't expect this to take so long to get out, but I had a lot of problems with school and being sick myself. Gomen, Gomen. *bow bow* So hai… Here is Ch. 6 of my fic ^^

**Call-Out: **As always, to my dearest friend Val-chan, who has me in a locked cell with a computer mouse permanently having me around to amuse her with writing. ^_^

** Encircling Anguish**

_ By: Jantra Hokushin_

**   Chapter 6: Immobile **

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_Yugi, I get the oddest feeling that I know him from somewhere… _Yugi frowned slightly, listening to his yami.

_Really?__ Maybe it is another memory that has faded. Yugi commented, trying to be helpful. Yami stared out through Yugi's eyes, trying to erase the scars from the face and place it to a memory... _

Burning heat around him, something cold surrounding his wrists. A name on his lips…

Yami jerked, his attention pulling away from watching as a memory sprang out of nowhere. He tried to capture it once again, but it was only emotions…

Yugi shrugged it off as the spirit released control of his eyes back to him again. The teacher stood up and began to teach.

            Rykiro tried his best to keep up his interest, but not only was the teacher teaching something he happened to know, the classroom was completely overheated. His mind wandered, drifting over the last week. This upcoming weekend would be the last time he would ever get to see his brother, he could see it now. That perfect face rested in an aura of dark hair, all outlined in white silk. A glance to the clock, only fifteen minutes until lunch. He would never see those blue eyes smiling to his, never hear his brother's laugh again…

_            "Come on, Rykiro!" His brother pulled him along by the hand, heading for the sled that sat perched on the hill of their street. Snow blanketed everything, covering the world in a world of white. Ryon hopped onto the sled and with Rykiro's added momentum, it went down the hill. It gained in speed, more and more until the wind whipped tears from their eyes. Rykiro laughed loudly, clamping his arms around his older brother. It felt like the world was theirs… until they massed into the snow bank at the bottom of the hill. Rykiro gasped, wriggling until he was free of the snow. He looked for his brother, but gasped when he couldn't see him. _

_            "Ryon??" Then suddenly he felt a weight land on his back. Ryon's laugh._

_            "Gotcha, bro!" His brother cried out, that attack leading to them wrestling in the snow… it was a day of warmth, a day of hot cocoa, a day of sitting in front of the window, watching the world turn white…_ __

Rykiro didn't notice the bell had rang until suddenly someone was touching his shoulder. He looked up into blurry lilac eyes. He felt tears on his cheeks, and looked down quickly to hide them. He didn't need someone seeing him crying on the first day of school. Raising a sleeve, he wiped away the moisture and looked back to Yugi, who watched him with concerned eyes. 

            "You ok, Rykiro?" The smaller boy asked quietly. Rykiro knew he had seen…

            "Yea…" He whispered.

            Yugi frowned softly. "I know the principal said something had happened for you to transfer…I know you probably don't want to talk it over, but I'm always here if you want to talk. I live with my grandpa above the game shop… Come over if you get bored, or lonely…Want to have lunch with me?" Rykiro stared into those eyes, that infectious smile. 

Rykiro smiled slightly and nodded. "Yea, I'd love too." Yugi's eyes were that of angels…

He stood and packed his things, following Yugi into the cafeteria. Hundreds of students sat in there, making him slightly nervous. Rykiro pressed closed to Yugi, the smaller boy's hair tickling his chin as Yugi's head touched against chest and shoulder. He blushed slightly, unknown to the other boy. They went through the line and got their lunches, sitting at a table with 'the gang' as Yugi named the group. Rykiro kept quiet as they chatted about this and that, until they began to speak about Duel Monsters, listening closely. Jou and Yugi both had their decks out, trying to explain to Honda how to build a stronger deck. Rykiro finished his food, watching Yugi silently. The boy had a passion for life that was utterly beyond the normal stance of someone in life. His eyes lit up with his talk of monsters and attack points, magics and rituals. That wild hair only expressed the boy's light on the outside like a flame. Rykiro blushed faintly at his thoughts and looked to his tray, half embarrassed. Why was he **thinking such things?**

 "Ry! Come on show us your deck!" Jou's voice perked up over the noise in his mind. Rykiro looked up with a blink.

"My deck?" He repeated as if he hadn't heard the blonde correctly. Jou frowned and nodded. Rykiro dug into one massive cargo pocket and pulled out the wooden box, then opened it and poured his deck into his hand. He slowly shuffled through it has Jou, Yugi, and Honda looked over his shoulder. He passed over things such as Just Desserts and Monster Reborn, passed the Dark Magician and his La Jinn. Yugi sat pointing out things to Honda he did so, an insipid finger lifting to tap a card from time to time. Rykiro replaced the deck back into its home as soon as he was finished, and nodded to the group. "I'm gonna walk outside, alright? I'll be back by the time the bell rings." He said quietly. Yugi and Jou nodded, Rykiro flashed a smile at them, then went outside. He slowly walked along paths that no other student seemed to be on, and finally settled on a small stone seat half blocked from sight.

Rykiro slowly closed his eyes, taking slow breathes of the fresh air. Away from the confusing feelings he felt when he was around Yugi, away from the stares of the boy's friends. His eyes opened slowly as the feeling in the air around him changed, feeling like those invisible hands that surround one as they walk down the pavement in the depths of summer. Before him, the air was indeed shimmering in front of his cerulean orbs. It slowly solidified into the shape of Kuragari standing there, gold covered arms crossed in front of his chest. Rykiro's eyes went wide, and he pressed back into the stone of the seat.

"Ku… Kuragari?" He said cautiously. The figure before him seemed ghostly, and indeed as if taking pieces from every cheesy horror story ever, he was completely transparent. Rykiro could make out every leaf and branch straight through Kuragari's being. But yet as the dark spirit sat down, he did not sink through the bench and into nothing, but actually sat upon its surface. Rykiro cocked a brow slightly at that. How strange. 

The spirit gave a quick blade of smile, gazing at Rykiro with an unreadable expression on his face. Rykiro himself was still unsure about the spirit's real workings. Every time of the few times he had gotten a chance to be with Kuragari, the soul had seemed different. Sometimes being almost cruel, sometimes caring. Sometimes humorous, sometimes completely dry. A perplexing character indeed. 

_Rykiro.__ I would like a chance to duel that young Yugi. The darkness still spoke in his mind, and he was glad for it in one way. It made their conversation more private. _

_Why's that? I mean… he's good. You really know how to play? _He returned the question in word and in quick gestures that played on some of his Irish heritage that came from his mother's side. The pale skin, the blue eyes, and the rapid gesturing that occurred simultaneously with any conversation he was having. And now it looked like he was having a dialogue with himself, wouldn't it just be so **wonderful **if someone walked by, seeing him like this? But it did not happen, they seemed safe in the little alcove away from the main schoolyard. 

_Yes, of course I know how to play. _The spirit's voice went harsh, as if he was angered by the statement that had been blanketed on him. Rykiro jumped a little, surprised by the tone after the gentle question that had been relayed right before it. Rykiro slowly nodded.

_Al… Alright… I'll ask him for another duel sometime… but how are you doing to play? I mean… you're just a spirit._ His question was almost instantly answered as Kuragari stood, and leaned in towards his other half. Their flesh merged like white hot metals being poured together. It was burning, like being inside the sun but… almost pleasurable in feeling instead of pain. And in a heartbeat he was a passenger inside of his own body. The walls of his Soul Room where around him, but if he watched upwards, he could see what his eyes did. But he no longer controlled them, no longer controlled his own body. It felt completely alien, disorienting. He watched himself lift a hand, and knew that Kuragari was the one puppeteering his flesh.

Kuragari stood and leisurely walked around, feeling the strange sensation of having a corporeal form after thousands of years of nothing but ethereal magics holding him into a frame.  He glanced around the unfamiliar ideas of evergreen trees and grass. So different then his home. He could feel the brief protest of Rykiro coming from inside him, but he ignored it to simply enjoy the feeling. Footsteps forced him to look at defensively, and before him stood the young white haired boy that Rykiro had seen earlier. A small frown touched his features and he gave a small smile.

"Ryou, right?" The small boy nodded.

"Rykiro… I just wanted to ask you if…" And the boy paused. His eyes seemed, for just a moment, to glaze over. Ryou had gone completely still, then his eyes shut. Kuragari bared his teeth when he felt something pass over the other boy, and stepped back when the snowy haired Ryou looked back up to him. He instantly knew something was different. Those soft angel features were not the same, no. They bore an edge to them now, his eyes more slanted, more cold. Kuragari took a slightly defensive and cocked his head. "If we could possibly get together sometime and have a duel. Not now, of course, but sometime after school, perhaps? I don't live too far away from Yugi's house, you can walk there in… oh, a few minutes. How about it, hmm?" 

Something had changed in that tenshi's voice; something subtle that Kuragari could not ignore, but also, could do nothing about. But perhaps it was just long since he had seen the light of day. Too long since dealing with others and their oh so complex emotions and ways. A small smile played on his lips and he nodded. 

"I'd be delighted." He said softly, and Ryou's smile lit up his face. The British boy carefully gave some directions as to the way of his home, then bounded away with a wave. Kuragari stood unsure for a few moments, shaking his head.

_Odd friends you picked, Rykiro._

_Its__ about time you responded to me! You scared me! Please don't do that again without telling me? The teenager inside him cooed while managing to properly sound frightened. Kuragari hesitated a moment, then relented._

_Alright, aibou.__ I'll warn you from now on, I suppose. He relented control back to its rightful owner, and formed within his own Soul Room. The body around him came to life as Rykiro gained back motion of its functions. The spirit stared around the warm room that reflected icy beauty. Things looked soft to the eye, but if one did not know where to be or even how to be, it was all crystalline razor and shattered ice. A smirk crossed the yami's face at the idea of having two duels in store, and flopped down on his bed. Yes, being out once again was turning out to be interesting. Interesting indeed. _


End file.
